I have a tendency to think of myself as the mutt of the litter. I'm not purebred.

You can't help but feel all the human-rights issues.

I find that’s one of the great things about acting-you have the opportunity to stand in somebody else’s shoes. Each character faces a dilemma in her life, and as an actor you’re able to step into that character’s skin, look through her eyes. You leave transformed, a different person, because once you live a little bit of someone’s life, it changes you.

I've had such an odd career.

And I realized that sometimes the greatest triumphs in your life come in on little cat feet and sit on silent haunches and it's up to you to see it before it moves on.

It took me getting to my 50s before I could say "Whatever!" about other people's criticism, especially when it's not true.

I wanted to be Katharine Hepburn-ish - there was a bit of nobility about her.